Islamabad, August 26, 2026: Fourteen infants lost their lives as a result of a deadly fire that engulfed the gynecology ward of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad during the wee hours of the early morning on Wednesday.
The fire occurred on the third floor of the Mother and Child Hospital (MCH) ward, which is said to have been home to 15 infants. According to sources at the hospital, one infant survived the fire due to the efforts of a doctor; however, the other 14 infants met with an untimely death in the fire.
This incident has left many grieving and has brought up some very serious questions about fire safety, emergency planning, and staffing issues at one of the biggest hospitals in the country.
Fire Starts in the Early Hours of the Day
As per Health Minister Mustafa Kamal, the CCTV footage revealed that the spark from the air conditioning unit occurred around 6:38am. The fireball reportedly came out of the air conditioning unit after a few seconds and fell on the floor of the ward.
At 6:39am, the situation took a dramatic turn and the whole room was caught in flames.
According to the health minister, the CCTV footage revealed that two nurses and two doctors left the place to seek help immediately after the fire outbreak. Furthermore, he stated that investigations would reveal exactly how the fire spread and why there were so many casualties.
The Islamabad administration claimed that the rescue team was dispatched to the hospital immediately after being informed about the fire incident. Six fire brigade trucks and four ambulances participated in the mission.
On the contrary, varying reports have been reported concerning the response time.
According to Capital Development Authority (CDA), the rescue team reached the fire spot within seven minutes of receiving a call at 6:54am. Interior Minister of State Tallal Chaudhry has also come to the support of district administration by saying that the emergency response team reached the spot within six minutes of getting the information.
Families Describe Scenes of Chaos
The disaster occurred amidst panic as people tried to flee from the scene.
People reported seeing black smoke everywhere within the building. Patients and other people were reported trying to break into the affected ward using windows due to being unable to enter using the main access points.
Witnessing the whole event was Abdul Ghafoor, who spoke to the news agency AFP. He stated that patients seemed to be trapped in the building.
He explained that he tried to enter the affected area to try to help people there but could not enter because of the smoke. People broke some windows trying to help the people trapped in there.
There are also witnesses who are concerned about the access to the ward, claiming that many doors were closed during the emergency.
Mudasir, a father who lost his baby in the tragedy, claims that only one door remained open. He questions why there are no proper fire safety measures in place in this case.
Another father, Alam Zaib, claimed that he also tried to get into the affected ward but failed since the door was closed.
These claims are now an essential part of the investigation.
Health Minister Kamal admitted that access to the ward is controlled since certain security measures have been installed because of the incidents of theft of newborns before.
Parents Grieve for Their Loved Ones
To the parents whose young lives have been lost in the tragedy, it is a period of unending grief and sorrow.
According to Khurram Mehmood, aged 40, his three-day-old daughter passed away in the fire. He claimed that his wife had been in the ward while relatives were outside watching the emergency.
“We were just sitting on the road and we were waiting for help,” he said, referring to the grief that his family suffered due to this incident.
Another aggrieved mother, identified as Jaweria, shouted for justice as she was waiting outside the hospital.
“Give me back my child,” she said as she and other relatives became emotional outside the facility.
She asked how their babies were still in the ward at such a critical moment and if there was any medical personnel inside the ward.
It was stated that among those killed were twin daughters belonging to Bahadur Khan, a vegetable vendor. According to The New York Times, Bahadur Khan had left his three-day-old twin babies inside the hospital after placing them under the care of their mother while he went home to get some rest.
Oxygen Supplies Being Investigated
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal stated that investigators were exploring the potential link between the fire outbreak and oxygen supplies.
According to the minister, 14 out of 15 babies were reportedly using oxygen tubes when the fire broke out. The minister added that investigators would establish whether oxygen had any role in the fire.
This is important considering that neonatal wards consist of highly vulnerable patients who rely on oxygen support.
Nevertheless, the health minister noted that the investigations were ongoing and that the facts would be established before the issue of liability was sorted out.
Experts from various institutions will be required to examine CCTV footage, equipment, electrical installations and the state of the ward.
Questions Over Hospital Safety
The deaths have also brought to attention the issue of fire safety regulations in Pakistan’s hospitals.
Pims, which was founded in 1985, is the largest public sector hospital in Islamabad and one of its oldest major medical centers. The institution encompasses various hospitals and training facilities and treats thousands of patients daily.
According to Kamal, Pims has a lot of operational issues.
Namely, the hospital was meant to treat a much smaller number of patients, but now it gets visits from thousands of people. By his account, the hospital treats over 9,000 people a day while being built for substantially fewer patients.
In addition, there have been questions raised concerning fire safety notices which have been issued before.
When making his statement in the press conference, Kamal mentioned that Pims has been abiding the past notices concerning fire safety and referred to fire extinguishers being available in the building.
However, some people have questioned whether the presence of fire extinguishers was enough to ensure safety of infants in such sensitive environment of the hospital.
The incident has highlighted the need for the hospital to implement more advanced fire safety systems, including the working alarm system, available exits, and proper drills.
Minister of Health Vows Accountability
Health Minister Mustafa Kamal called the event “heart-breaking” and promised that anyone responsible for negligence would be made accountable.
He added that he was ready to be accountable in case of responsibility on his part proved through the investigation.
“If I am ready to be accountable, there will be no room left for anyone else,” the minister pointed out.
Kamal also admitted that the government was obligated to make improvements at hospitals.
He added that the situation at Pims Hospital was not satisfactory, and the incident showed the need to discover the reasons behind such failures.
The minister added that the investigation will reveal no truths, and experts and concerned institutions will study the case.
Federal Health Secretary Suspended and Dismissed
The Prime Minister noticed the tragic loss and ordered that an investigation into the matter be undertaken.
According to The Prime Minister’s Office, the Prime Minister was grief-stricken by the tragic loss and ordered that all negligent people be found out.
Taking an important step in the matter, the Prime Minister suspended and dismissed Federal Health Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri.
Captain (retired) Muhammad Mahmood, who is a BS-21 officer of the Pakistan Administrative Service, has been appointed the health secretary for three months or until another officer is appointed for the post.
This clearly shows how seriously the government is taking the matter.
Also, a high-level inquiry commission headed by former interior secretary Shahid Khan has been constituted.
Besides this, another fact-finding commission led by the additional deputy commissioner general has also been set up on the administrative side of Islamabad.
The committee has been asked to find out the reason behind the fire and also check the availability of firefighting equipment and the performance of emergency services.
Political leaders demand action
The tragedy evoked responses from all segments of Pakistan’s political community.
Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari condoled the victims’ families and said that the death of innocent babies is irreparable and heart breaking.
He pointed out that it was the need to find out responsibilities and act on legal parameters.
Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar also condoled the loss of innocent infants and said that no words can relieve the grief of parents whose children died.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of PPP, called the tragedy unacceptable national catastrophe and demanded a non-partisan inquiry into it.
He said that those who were negligent and failed to secure the patients needed to be held responsible.
PPP leaders Nayyar Hussain Bokhari and Sherry Rehman also visited the hospital and criticized the hospital management.
Sherry Rehman pointed out that the state of the affected ward raises serious doubts as to why emergency facilities and fire equipment were not sufficient enough in this case.
Some other political leaders such as Nawaz Sharif, President of PML-N, Yousaf Raza Gilani and Ayaz Sadiq, Speaker of Senate of Pakistan also condoled the loss and urged to take strong security measures.
Rescue Operations in Question
One of the key problems related to the incident is the discrepancy between the official statements and those of witnesses on how the rescue operations unfolded.
According to Tallal Chaudhry, the rescue team came to Pims in six minutes following the emergency call and managed to save 19 individuals, including seven children, 10 mothers and two men.
CDA reported that its rescue teams got to Pims in seven minutes since receiving the call.
However, according to the distraught relatives, the arrival took significantly more time, and some people tried rescuing the patients themselves.
This contradiction is expected to become one of the most important issues for the investigation.
Emergency call data, CCTV recordings, dispatch information and firefighter and ambulance movements will become part of the inquiry.
In addition, the investigation will establish whether the hospital employees followed proper evacuation procedures.
The Investigation Will Define Future Reform Efforts
It is important now that we know precisely what went wrong at Pims.
The investigation will need to identify the cause of the fire, evaluate the electrical and medical equipment, analyze the oxygen system, check the availability of staff, and review the status of emergency doors and exits.
There will also be a focus on the involvement of the hospital administration, the Ministry of Health, emergency services, and relevant authorities.
The most crucial aspect of the investigation is probably that it should establish whether there had been any warning or issues prior to the fire incident at Pims on Wednesday and whether the necessary action was taken.
A Tragedy That Should Not Be Forgotten
The death of 14 infants in Pims is one such tragedy which has made mourning parents seek justice when they should be rejoicing over their children being born.
This event will be a tragic memory for all those involved including the parents, family members and hospital staff.
However, for the entire health care system of the country, this event should become a turning point for reforms.
For the patients, hospitals should provide security especially to pregnant women and infants who are completely dependent on the health care providers.
During its investigation into the event, the government must look further than assigning blames on certain people to see if institutional flaws existed behind the tragedy.
While the assignment of blame may be necessary in case of negligence, it would certainly not be sufficient.
Fire safety measures, upgrading hospital structures, conducting tests on emergency response methods and training of health care providers will have to be strengthened.
The true test of the government’s response to the tragedy at Pims would be whether it succeeds in stopping another family from pleading at a hospital door for a child who was supposed to be safe inside it.
While it is not possible to bring back the 14 babies whose lives were lost, it is hoped that their tragic deaths will act as a wake-up call for all concerned about safety standards in hospitals.
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